Try Hypermiling And Save On Gas!
Apr 30th, 2008 | By moneyking | Category: Money
For your consideration: Try Hypermiling And Save On Gas!
We were kind of flabbergasted by this idea: 1) Someone gave a name to the idea that the driver might be a cause for poor gas mileage, and 2) The name is rather popular!
Hypermiling is real. You really can save money on gas by driving, dare we say, better.
You can search on this subject till you’re blue in the face, but here are the quick, easy and dirty top five hypermiling techniques you can use TODAY to start saving on those (seemingly never-ending and increasing) gas prices.
- Take crap out of your car: We know it’s difficult to believe, but all those extra school books and other items you don’t NEED in your car are taking miles off each gallon. You have a domicile, we assume, use it for storage.
- Use your cruise control early and often: You can even use your cruise in city limits. If you’ve got skills, you can time your accelerations and decelerations perfectly with your cruise, because most folks can’t seem to . . .
- Quit hyperaccelerating: You’ve seen this a million times. The guy next to you hits the gas at every green light lifting his front suspension as he tears down the street. This just cost him way more gas than necessary. Hypermiling driving techniques dictate that you let your cars idle get the vehicle in motion before touching the gas petal. Accelerating an already moving vehicle is much more energy efficient than trying to move a one ton piece of metal that’s completely stopped.
- COAST: That’s right! If you see a red light, why would you accelerate towards it? When you’re driving in the city, think of all those lights you’ll hit on your way across town. Coasting towards them will give you a greater chance of keeping your vehicle entirely in motion during your travel. A stopped car gets 0 MPG. You want to minimize this as much as possible.
- Inflate your tires: You hear this all the time, but do you really check your tires? The Money Kings bet that you don’t. So . . . if you want to be a Money King, you’ll start right?
One of the more advanced techniques in hypermiling theory is coasting with your engine completely off. Some people can do this while they’re driving in the city—starting and stopping their engines multiple times. We recommend doing this when you’re entering a parking lot or your driveway ONLY. Practice the technique and see how you do. The idea is, again, to quit accelerating into breaking. So, if you know you’re going to park soon, then put your engine in neutral and kill it about 10 seconds before you roll to where you need to go. That’s 10 seconds of not burning fuel you could use for another day!
Good luck out there.
Keywords: gas, mileage, hypermiling, save, money, coasting, rolling, engine
I totally drive like that. Cruise control is TOTALLY my friend. It pisses people off on the freeway but I don’t care. I go 61 or 62 (speed limit is 60) in the slow lane. It doesn’t take any extra time to get to work and I’m SO much less stressed as well. Not trying to get around people - probably saving gas by not accelerating to get around folks too. And hubby gets so mad at me for not accelerating faster off lights but when I drive our truck our gas mileage goes up. I wonder why! lol
If you’ve ever smoked weed or seen a Cheech and Chong movie, that’s how you should feel when you drive. Laaaayyyyy back, and relax. You’ll get to that next red light soon enough.
My wife drives like a maniac (well, a lot faster than me anyway) and we were in a situation where we went to the same place in separate cars and then left to go home at the same time. It was about a 30 mile trip mostly on the interstate, and soon after we got on I lost site of her. When I got near our neighborhood a half hour later though, there she was! She couldn’t believe I was right behind and I said “See bitch? I TOLD you!” And now she drives just like me! Yeah right…
I have one more tip to add. Filling up when the temperature is cooler. This has to do with the volume of gas. No kidding!
Filling up in the cold will yield you more gas than during warmer temps.
Soooooooo . . . We all get jacked with higher fuel prices in the summer due to “increased demand” (as we’re told), AND we actually get less liquid due to temperature.
A double-whammy.
True, but I’ve heard that the difference in the early morning temperature is actually enough to make a significant difference. Particularly in a place like Southern California where it cools down markedly at night, that desert thing… Combine it with tire pressure, etc. and the little things may add up in your favor.
Don’t shut your engine off while you’re on the road. Your power steering won’t work and turning the wheel is extremely difficult. It isn’t worth the small amount of gasoline to be unsafe. Plus, the added stress on the engine and starter by cranking it up every three minutes.
“another tip”: Filling up when the air is cool is bunk. It doesn’t matter.
DONT TURN THE ENGINE OFF!!! Not only is your power steering affected as already mentioned, but your power brakes also need the engine to be operating to produce the vacuum required for the assist. These money king people are dangerous irresponsible idiots for suggesting such antics. This advice can kill you!!
Get a K&N air filter
DON’T TURN YOUR ENGINE OFF in traffic or even a parking lot. I don’t know about you, but when my engine is off, turning the steering wheel past a certain point will lock it there. (let alone power steering and brakes). A little steering adjustment could send you into another car or on coming traffic! Terrible Idea Money Kings…
Re: DONT TURN THE ENGINE OFF!!!
Anyone who suggests turning off the engine while moving is a complete and unadulterated idiot!
They should try it some time in traffic, then try to stop without rear ending the car in front! Your brakes will fail as soon as the vacuum depletes! What dummies, they should go back to driving their kiddie pedal car, or go play in the traffic.
Turning off the engine has it’s applications: waiting in line to fill up, waiting to pick the kids up from school, etc. but while driving. Are you crazy? Not only does the power steering not work but then there is no vacuum to power your brakes (power brakes). You may get one pump out of the brakes but after that good luck. Worst of all, turning off your ignition may engage your steering wheel lock. In a panic there is no way you are going to get that mess squared away. Now you have a moving car with no brakes, no steering and the air bag is probably powered down. Coast but do not shut off the engine.
K&N filters are snake oil.
I love to fill my tank to the brim with premium gas, step on the accelerator ang gogogo. I drive fast and accelerate often. Sometimes I hit small animals, put the car in reverse and run them down again. Old people see me coming and crap their pants, sometimes leaving their dentures in the bumper of my V-8 powered SUV. I do not see green, I see RED……………………….
Shutting your engine off in traffic of any kind (in modern cars) is dangerous. Not only does power steering and brakes stop working but the steering wheel locks up and you can not steer the car!! Many older cars (say pre-1968) this tecnique may be useful. Also freewheeling clutches are available on pre-1968 SAAB’s, making it possible for these cars to coast. Freewheeling was considered unsafe and illegal in many states.
just buy a fucking bicicle so you can do exercise you get healty and save gas i still using my car i work to far lol…
anyway the real thing is we can’t do anything about gas just pay and thats it they are going to still with this prices til people strike!!!!!
YEAHHHHH LETS STRIKE!!!!!!!!
In black and white, our post on this subject says that we recommend doing this in your own driveway or as you’re pulling into a parking lot.
The rest of the ENTIRE post is about theory . . .
When do we directly tell anyone to coast during traffic?
Wait! We can answer this one for you: Never.
Someone was just killed by shutting their car off while driving………..THANKS MONEY KINGS, now they are dead.
Oh for Pete sake get off their back. They didn’t kill someone. If they were stupid enough to do it then it’s Darwin’s theory at work (said sarcastically in case you’re too stupid to recognize it).
Thanks for backing us Casto Creations!
Outstanding! Not only are you saving on gas and not wasting any extra time driving, but you’re saving all that extra time you’d be having sex! Nothing gets a woman MORE in the mood than calling her a bitch. Maybe in your case, you’re only saving seconds instead of minutes…
Before the PC police in 1973 the turn off your engine and cost was called J*wish Over Drive. JOD
what in the crap is a BICICLE? Is that one of those double popsicle things?
Not only is coasting without the engine running illegal, dangerous and foolish, starting your engine repeatedly will shorten the life of your starter. If you figure that the cost savings of stopping and restarting your engine will be offset by the price of a new starter (and labor), why bother…? Not to mention the drag on the battery and alternator since every time you use some juice to run the starter, the alternator needs to replace that power in the battery. Don’t waste your time…just drive sensibly and keep your car in good running condition.
I think it may also be illegal. I’ve heard of some people getting tickets for coasting with the engine off.
1. Install a water-to-energy converter. These are basically electrolyzers or vapor injectors that use very little energy to boost the poor performance of gasoline as explained above. You can get a fully functional, ready to install system dirt cheap from http://www.WaterPetrolCar.com
2. Install a fuel warmer such as “Fuel Atomizer 2000″ http://wyominginstruments.com
3. Replace the spark plug WIRES with “Kiker Wires” from http://KikerPerformance.com
that improve the sparks by creating magnetic fields.
4. DO NOT, let me repeat this, DO NOT fill up your tank at stations that add 10% ethanol (the mixture is called “gasohol”). Instead, buy some Xylene (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xylene) and add it yourself for much better results and fuel economy
sure go ahead and turn your motor off to coast…if you want to spend a few thousand dollars to get your automatic transmission rebuilt cause when you shut the engine off the oil pump in the transmission stops turning but all the stuff gears ect, keep turning and we all know what happens to stuff without oil right ?
Hypermiling is extremely dangerous, do not do it! If you have a standard you can hold the clutch when you coast, if you are experienced enough to do so, and allow the engine to idle, which in most vehicles uses very little gasoline. Engaging the clutch in the proper gear from a coast requires experience so don’t do it if you’re not an experienced driver. I used to coast on numerous down grade interstates and saved plenty of gas.
K&N air filters flow a great deal more air than stock air filters, and theres not “snake oil” involved, it’s a scientific fact. You may get as much if not more than 3mpg from a K&N filter, which costs around $20-60 dollars, which will pay for itself in a few months. I have seen air flow benches flow K&N filters and they work, and theres also other high-flow type air filters that are cheaper, but as far as quality you will have to do your research. Also Synthetic Metal Treatment SMT2 has additives for the oil, transmission, and power steering pump, and it reduces friction significantly increasing gas mileage. It’s not cheap but it works, I would not recommend any other brand, because SMT2 is a completely biodegradable metal treatment, and I get at least 2 miles more per gallon in my V8 while using it.
I don’t know about all your cars, but I have a 2002 Nissan Maxima SE with 6 speed manual transmission. I live out in the boonies so I was able to test the turning the ignition off while driving. I have to say, it my car, it works pretty well. I can get the car up to speed, press the clutch in, turn off the ignition and immediately turn the key back to the “on” position. The engine is now off but because the key is in the “on” position, the steering wheel lock does not engage. Also, power steering and brakes seemed to work just fine as well.
Once I was ready to accellerate again, I just released the clutch in 6th gear which as far as I could tell gently restarted the engine. It seemed gentle and did not get the kind of jerking that can occur when push starting your vehicle in low gears.
So, at least in the 2002 Maxima with manual transmission, it appears that turning off the engine could work for you… Of course, I think I’d only do it on country roads with little or no other traffic around…
Unless you have an early model manual vehicle (1970-80s) there is allot more going on than meets the eye when you turn the ignition off. Aside from the major hazards from turning off the ignition (steering wheel lock, no more power to drivetrain), there are also many factors which you may not be aware of that become disabled upon turning off the ignition. Your 2002 Maxima, has many sensors, which ensure your safety. The major issues in your case are non-operating power steering pump, loss of vacuum which affects many peripheral controls to important components, brake master cylinder being the most important. Your brakes and steering are dramatically affected, when you turn off the ignition, regardless to whether the steering wheel locks, due to the above mentioned issues. Aside from this, modern vehicles 1970’s+ rely upon vacuum for many other sensors, which control many more functions than I can list here. Many of these sensors monitor and provide feedback to critical management systems, which protect you and your vehicles components. Most importantly it is very dangerous, secondly you are likely damaging expensive components in your vehicles drivetrain, which essentially makes “hypermilling” an expensive risk.
Kudos on the 5 numbered tips - all great ways to conserve gas & $.
But you should have stopped there. The end of the article encourages people to do a (potentially) incredibly stupid, dangerous thing in their cars, despite the cya hairsplitting in your followup post.
Reason for harping on this is because this very Money Kings column was cited in a US News & World Report article (8 New Ways to Save on Gas By Kimberly Palmer, posted May 14, 2008): “Just coast. Here’s a real sign of desperation over gas prices: When you’re going downhill, moving slowly in traffic, or pulling into a parking space, the Money Kings recommend turning your engine completely off. That way, you can take advantage of the car’s momentum and avoid wasting gas on unnecessary acceleration…” PEOPLE, DON’T DO THIS!!
It showed up again in MSN Money, but at least there you’re just “some bloggers” and not the Money Kings. That article (8 extreme ways to save some scratch) said:
“Turn your car off — while it’s moving
Though AAA warns against this technique, some bloggers promote it as a way of saving gas. By using the car’s momentum to glide into parking spaces or move downhill, you can get where you’re trying to go with less fuel. Just make sure you practice driving without power steering and power brakes in an open space before experimenting near other cars — or people. And never try this at high speeds; it’s too dangerous.”
We don’t need to encourage stupidity on the road - there’s plenty already. If you’re still reading, here’s a less effective but far safer coasting suggestion: For people who have a MANUAL TRANSMISSION, coast in neutral WITH THE ENGINE ON. But for cars with power steering or power brakes, turning off the engine to coast could cause serious harm to other people’s cars, property, lives. And someone driving an automatic who bumped out of drive a bit too hard and went past neutral into reverse - that could be one expensive hypermile.
Where, oh where, do we recommend this?
Just because words are written on our blog, doesn’t mean we recommend them. If we mean to recommend, we’ll say, “We recommend . . .”
And for MSN, where, oh where, did we promote this technique? Again, if we mean to promote, we’ll say, “We promote . . .”
Thanks so much for providing us with all this great info about hypermiling. Too Shy to Stop writer Isabel Adams just did an article for our magazine about hypermiling. You can read the full article here.